Chiefs free agency: 3 sensible moves

As we reach the dawn of free agency the flood gates have opened and the major pieces are moving. The Jacksonville Jaguars and the Oakland Raiders are expected to be big players as they both have a ridiculous amount of cap room with which to work. The Chiefs, on the other hand, don’t have the most cap room especially with the franchise tag on safety Eric Berry and a 4 million dollar hit from a voided contract by Tamba Hali. (who has since been re-signed)

We find ourselves in familiar territory as Chiefs’ fans because we see some of our favorite players hitting the market and potential free agents that could really help the Chiefs pricing themselves right out of Kansas City. However, there are a few moves that could really help the Chiefs move forward to super bowl aspirations and keep themselves from going off the deep end.

1. Re-sign Derrick Johnson

Sean Smith will be fought over like fresh kale at a vegan convention and will be grossly overpaid for his good-but-not-great services. Tamba Hali has hit the cap already for 2016 by voiding his contract so it really makes no sense to bring him back unless he works for a fairly minimal contract. Which is what the Chiefs did on Tuesday, the details on that contract will be available soon. That leaves Derrick Johnson as the best Chiefs’ defender that could remain affordable and wants to stay in Kansas City. Jaye Howard has said that he likes Kansas City, but he also likes money more.

Johnson has led the team in tackles almost every year he has been on the roster. His play is effective and his leadership is invaluable. Johnson has said before that he would like to finish his career in Kansas City and both Clark Hunt and John Dorsey aren’t in the business of “letting good players go.” The Chiefs should be able to retain Johnson for a relatively low $6-7 million per year which is a bump up from his previous salary but still resides much lower than the top paid middle linebackers.